June 19, 2022 9.01 am This story is over 21 months old

Lincolnshire hospital volunteer, 92, brings joy to staff and patients

Great work Eileen!

A 92-year-old woman continues to bring joy to patients and staff after working for a volunteer in the cancer treatment ward at Pilgrim Hospital in Boston for over a decade.

Eileen Daubney began work as a volunteer in the Oncology Suite 14 years ago and supports patients who come into the Day Unit for cancer treatment.

Staff and patients said it’s the little things she does which make such a big difference, including Steven Sellars who told BBC Look North: “She never stops, she’s always on the go, she’s always got a kind word, and she always says her patients come first.”

Eileen, who was an Olympic Torch bearer when it came through the town back in 2012, told BBC Look North: “My son-in-law retired, we had a big retirement party and I could a see gentleman looking at me and he came over, he said ‘I remember you from six years ago, you gave me lots of cups of tea and good sandwiches’.”

She is one of more than 200 volunteers across Lincolnshire’s hospitals and bosses want to increase that number to 1,000.

Andy Tyson, voluntary services manager, said: “Everybody comes into hospital hoping to be fixed or to be made better, but what they take away is the memories of the little things that people did for them, the personal things, and volunteers can deliver that all day long.”